This course is designed to introduce the respiratory student to the foundational principles of Respiratory Care and provide a basic understanding of the diagnostic and therapeutic modalities employed in the current evidence-based practice of respiratory care. This course required to be taken concurrently with RESP 09301 Fundamentals of Respiratory Care Lab.

The Fundamentals of Respiratory Care lab course is designed to guide the respiratory therapy student in the hands-on application of various physical principles as well as both therapeutic and diagnostic procedures learned in the lecture course. Students will learn to use various diagnostic and therapeutic devices and equipment associated with the safe practice of Respiratory Care.

This course provides respiratory therapy students with a focused study of the anatomy and physiology of the cardiopulmonary system as related to respiratory care. Topics of discussion will include a study of the anatomy and physiology of the cardiac and respiratory systems with an emphasis on the interrelationship between these two and other essential body systems. This course, along with other core courses will lay the foundation that is essential for subsequent courses in the respiratory therapy curriculum.

This course is designed to introduce the respiratory student to the basic principles of the pharmacology associated with Respiratory Care. A special emphasis will be placed on drugs used in Respiratory Care and those used to diagnose and treat diseases affecting the cardiovascular and pulmonary systems. Topics will include, but are not limited to, the drugs used in advanced life support and those associated with emergency and critical care.

This course is designed to introduce the respiratory student to the critical care setting and will provide an overview of various aspects of respiratory and interprofessional care required to manage the critical care patient in this setting.

This course is designed to orient the respiratory therapy student to the hospital clinical setting. Clinical instruction and supervision are provided to help the student practice and hone the basic diagnostic, assessment and therapeutic skills associated with respiratory care in the clinical setting. After successful completion of RESP 09301 Fundamentals of Respiratory Care Lab with a passing grade of “C” or better, students will complete two 8-hour clinical sessions per week for 6-weeks, for a total of 96 hours.

This course is designed to introduce the respiratory therapy student to the physics of gas flow, the physiological principles of spontaneous ventilation and the rationale for and use of various devices and techniques used in the provision of mechanical ventilation to all patients requiring artificial airways and or ventilatory support.

This course is the laboratory component of the Principles of Ventilatory Support I course. In this course, instruction and guided practice will focus on the insertion of and maintenance of artificial airways and the application of invasive and non-invasive mechanical ventilatory support devices, maintenance of the mechanically ventilated patient, weaning and liberation from ventilatory support devices and the discontinuation of life support.

This course is designed to build upon previously learned respiratory care theory and skills by introducing the respiratory therapy student to advanced techniques associated with the progressive assessment and care of cardiopulmonary patients. Basic and advanced pulmonary function testing, basic electrocardiogram interpretation, arterial blood gas interpretation and basic hemodynamic assessments will be discussed as some of the various diagnostic and monitoring techniques used to evaluate and treat patients with cardiopulmonary disease or conditions affecting the cardiopulmonary system.

This course is an exploration and analysis of the etiologies, pathophysiology, diagnosis and treatment of diseases and disorders affecting the cardiopulmonary system. An emphasis is placed on the selection and development of appropriate respiratory care plans.

This course is a continuation of Clinical Practicum I and is designed to orient the student to the critical care environment. Clinical instruction and supervision are provided to help the student refine the core objectives of Clinical Practicum I and to allow the student to acquire the skills necessary for advanced patient assessment. Students enrolled in this course will complete one 8-hour clinical session per week for 15 weeks, for a total of 120 hours.

This course is designed to expand upon the theories learned in RESP 09410 Principles of Ventilatory Support I by introducing the respiratory student to airway pressure release ventilation, high frequency oscillatory ventilation, volumetric CO2 monitoring, advanced ventilator graphics analysis, esophageal pressure measurement/monitoring and other advanced diagnostic and therapeutic techniques used to care for critically ill or injured patients requiring mechanical ventilatory assistance.

In this laboratory component of the Principles of Ventilatory Support II course, instruction and guided practice will focus on advanced modes of mechanical ventilation and specialized devices used to monitor and support the critically ill patient with severe disease affecting the cardiopulmonary system.

This course is designed to introduce the respiratory therapy student to the basic principles of the specialized respiratory care provided for neonatal and pediatric patients. This course will focus on anatomical and physiological differences between this group of patients and adults, as well as the various pathologies related to both neonatal and pediatric patient populations.

In this laboratory component of the Pediatric and Neonatal Respiratory Care course, instruction and guided practice will focus on various types of therapeutic and ventilatory assistance devices used to care for neonatal and pediatric patients.

This course is an introduction to the fundamentals of clinical research, especially as related to the profession of respiratory care. This course is designed to enhance the communication skills of respiratory therapy students in finding, evaluating and incorporating research into discussions regarding respiratory care and clinical practice.

This course is a continuation of Clinical Practice II and is designed to allow the respiratory student to hone and master the skills required to practice in the critical care setting. Students will be required to complete 180 clinical hours in 12-hour rotations and will work closely with and be supervised by a designated preceptor in each of several mandatory clinical rotations including cardiovascular intensive care, trauma intensive care, emergency care and neonatal intensive care.

This course introduces the respiratory student to the many extra-hospital environments in which respiratory care is provided. Students will be introduced to Long Term Acute Care, (LTAC) Sub-Acute Care Facilities, Skilled Nursing Facilities, Pulmonary Rehabilitation facilities and the Home Care setting.

This course focuses on the skills needed to critically examine research as evidence for current respiratory clinical practice. In this course, respiratory therapy students will evaluate one or more current respiratory therapy clinical practice modalities and find research evidence that either supports current practice or that indicates the need for change or revision. Discussions will include quality and abundance of evidence and methods for communicating evidence in a way that supports changes in practice or adaptation if support exists.

This course will provide students from various health care disciplines to work together to develop skills needed to engage in inter-professional collaborative practice. Students will complete pre-work online and then attend virtual meetings with other healthcare disciplines to develop care plans for patient cases. Specific, but not limited to, areas of study include ethics for inter-professional practice, roles and responsibilities of health care providers, inter-professional communication strategies and developing quality health care teams to enhance patient outcomes.

This introductory course discusses the roles of patients, physicians, hospitals, insurers, and pharmaceutical companies within the context of healthcare and the interaction among these groups. Students will be introduced to resource management, managing people, complex systems, and processes within healthcare services in the changing environment of healthcare delivery and services.

This final clinical practice course will further enhance the clinical education of the respiratory student through a series of specialty rotations. Students will gain clinical experience in LTAC facilities, pulmonary physician’s offices, pulmonary rehabilitation facilities, Homecare settings, and Sleep labs.

This is the capstone course of the BSRT program. This course is designed to be a culmination of learning experiences gained from previous respiratory therapy program courses. By applying the concepts learned in required BSRT courses, students will be encouraged to analyze current respiratory care practice and the current status of the respiratory therapists as members of the interprofessional healthcare team and evaluate the need for change or improvement.